Five years of serving the Hungarian community in Cleveland
Father András Mezei arrived in Cleveland five years ago. He came to serve the local Hungarian roman catholic community and more than that. During these five years he was positively motivated to preserve, foster and promote the rich ethnic history of the Hungarian people within the American-Hungarian community in Cleveland.
Mrs. Ildikó Peller was speaking after this Sunday mass in behalf of the Saint Emeric parishioners.
It is always a joyous occasion to celebrate with the Lord, as I paraphrase from the 89th psalm of the Book of Psalms. Today we have an occasion for very special celebration, a celebration that is also an invitation for thanksgiving. First and foremost, our thanks rises to our Heavenly Father for his daily blessings, for his loving providence as well as for the opportunity to be together again here in person after the virus imposed quarantine of several weeks of isolation.
Today we heard Father remember St. Laszlo, the brave Hungarian king whose feast is celebrated by the Church on June 27. Second, we also celebrate today Fathers’ Day along with the rest of the world. May God bless all the fathers and all the spiritual fathers.

And third, we are celebrating a milestone anniversary in our parish. Five years have passed since Father András Mezei arrived from Hungary and took upon himself the duties of St. Emeric Parish’s pastor and administrator. During these five years we have seen the parish blossom and grow in many wonderful ways.
Father, please know that we all pray for you and in return we ask that you to pray for us. The parishioners have asked me to convey to you their thanks today.
Thank you …..
for your untiring work for the parish community, for celebrating Mass in church, even during the pandemic quarantine providing the opportunity for us to participate in the Sunday Mass in our own home via livestreaming,
for administering the sacraments to enrich our spiritual lives,
for visiting us in the hospital,
for consoling us when grieving for a loved one, and so much mor,
for keeping alive the traditions of our Hungarian heritage which
mean so much to us,
for organizing and overseeing the preparations of the social events
which bring the parishioners together so that we may better know
and respect each other,
for your warmth and good humor which is capable of evoking a
smile even on the most serious face.
I suspect we may not be the easiest group to work with, I don’t know if you noticed that. However, in the spirit of good humor I will let you in on a little secret that we have learned from your predecessors here.
According to them, the first 5 years with us are the hardest, and after that it is easy sailing.
Father András, we thank you again for your dedication to this parish and wish you God’s abundant blessings for today, tomorrow, day after tomorrow, and forever.
Thank you Father András !!




Csibi Lóránd